The truth is many Believers today aren’t reaping the
harvest God intends for them to have, i.e. they’re
not receiving His best, because they don’t know
enough about reaping. Maybe they try to harvest too
soon or they go out in the flesh to make their own
harvest. Or they don’t rest when they should so
they’re too tired when the harvest is ready. Or they
don’t realize they’re supposed to participate in the
work of bringing in the harvest. Or they’re just too
lazy. How many Christians are sitting and waiting
passively for their bank accounts to fill up while the
harvest is all around them waiting for the sickle to be
put in, for action to be taken?
The only place to find out how to reap God’s blessing
is in His Word. Therefore, becoming an expert in the
process of reaping requires committed study of the
Word. As we acquire knowledge, we apply what
we’ve learned until we become proficient. God wants
us to reap but we have to learn to do it His way; He
won’t work with us to do it our way. And so, based
on the principles we have seen in the Parable of
the Seed and from previous articles in this series,
we can assemble a basic process for biblical reaping
that does it His way:
1. In order to expect the principles of sowing
and reaping to work on your behalf, you must start
out by walking in love. It is the
essential requirement (Matthew 22:40). The problem
is your flesh doesn’t want to walk in love; it prefers
to be selfish and competitive. To overcome this you
must begin to confess with your mouth what the
Word says instead of what your flesh and the world
are telling you. Declare to God by speaking out loud
that you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and
strength. Declare that you love your fellow man,
including your enemies, just as you love yourself and
then thank the Lord for giving you the ability to love
as He does. Look for opportunities to bless others.
Keep on confessing and blessing from your love every
day and soon love will take over your life and open
the door to all of God’s promises.
2. Then you will need to sow seeds; the
essence of love is sowing. That is, you must give
something into the Kingdom of God that is valuable to
you out of the substance God has provided. If you’re
short of seed to sow, find anything that you can give
away in faith and start out small. God will multiply
the seed back to you so you can sow more the next
time. You can expect and believe that your eventual
harvest will be at least a 100-fold multiplication of
what you sow into the Kingdom. Remember, if you
sow bountifully, you can expect to reap bountifully (2
Corinthians 9:8).
3. As you sow your seed, ask
God to multiply it back to you. Release your faith on
the biblical principle that you can have what you ask
for; just believe and you can have what you say
(Mark 11:23-24).
4. Now it’s time to rest and wait for the
harvest to grow and multiply. You have done the
sowing and God will do the multiplying. He doesn’t
need your help so resist the temptation to go out in
your own strength and start bringing in a flesh-
harvest on your own. God’s harvest will be greater
and much more rewarding than anything your flesh
can do. Rest and wait while you stand on the
promises God has spoken. Stay in close contact with
the Holy Spirit and begin to confess with your mouth
that you already have the multiplied harvest you
have asked the Lord for. And while you wait, remain
totally content with where God has you believing
that your harvest will manifest at the perfect time.
5. Soon you start to see the first spouts of
the plants that will bring your harvest. Keep the
weeds (the cares of the world) away so they don’t
choke your sprouts. Casting your concerns on the
Lord is a part of resting. Be watchful as your plants
grow into maturity.
6. Soon enough the plants will grow to full
size: first the blade, next the head and then the
seed upon the head. Resist the temptation to
harvest grain (seed) that is not fully mature, that is
not ready. The wise sower must recognize the
correct season to enter into the harvest and the
way to know this is to stay in close contact with the
Holy Spirit. He knows the exact moment to begin the
harvest and He knows where you should take the
next step. He will lead you into the harvest at the
opportune moment and in the right place.
7. At the right time you will
need to put in the sickle and bring the harvest in
yourself. This is your time to go back to work
because it’s the sower’s responsibility to also make
the harvest. Many Believers don’t know this and are
waiting for their harvest to drop down on them
supernaturally. But the Word says the sower must
bring in the harvest. Some of us have a harvest all
around us but we don’t see it or we’re not willing to
make the effort to take advantage of the
opportunities the Lord has provided. Find out from
the Holy Spirit where to put in the sickle and then go
to work where He shows you.
8. Be sure to set aside seed for the next
harvest. Many Believers don’t have enough seed for
the next harvest because they have consumed it on
their own agenda. Within every harvest there is a
portion that is seed to be set aside for sowing in the
future; God always provides the seed for the sower
(2 Corinthians 9:10) and He will tell you specifically
how much to set aside. Just ask Him. Here’s an
example of what He has told others to do that you
might want to consider: sow 10% as a tithe (refer to
Part 13 of this series) and simultaneously set aside
another 10% for seed for the next sowing season to
be given as God directs. Be sure and set aside the
seed before you start disbursing the remaining 80%
for your living expenses. As time goes on, the Lord
will multiply your harvests and you will find yourself
able to live on a smaller and smaller percentage of
your total provision even though you are sowing
greater and greater amounts. This is how we become
distributors of God’s provision: by blessing others and
by helping Him build His Kingdom.
